The special status of Donbass should lie at the core of the peaceful dialogue. By renouncing it Kiev once again imitates the negotiating process on its own part, envoy of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) to the Minsk talks Vladislav Deinego told Interfax on Sunday.

The special status of Donbass should lie at the core of the peaceful dialogue. By renouncing it Kiev once again imitates the negotiating process on its own part, envoy of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LNR) to the Minsk talks Vladislav Deinego told Interfax on July 19.

"In compliance with the Complex of Measures the special status of Donbass is placed at the core of the peaceful dialogue. By openly saying that the amendments made in the constitution do not imply a special status for Donbass [Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko only confirms that Kiev is imitating the negotiating process instead of truly striving to develop a peaceful dialogue," Deinego said.

LPR is perplexed by Kiev's declarations on the need to transfer control over a section of the Ukrainian-Russian border before the introduction of the special procedure of local self-government in Donbass.

"Kiev is again trying to place the cart in front of the horse. The Complex of Measures clearly states that the transition of control over the section of the state border completes the implementation of all the measures stipulated by the document instead of preceding it," Deinego said.

"At the present time the effects of the law on the special procedure of local self-government are actually blocked by the amendments to it," he said.

He said LPR is also sharply opposed to the increase in the Ukraine's defense spending planned for next year. "We are categorically opposed to money from the Ukrainian budget being used for the escalation of the conflict, to an increase in spending on the war," Deinego said.

The envoy of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in the contact group, Denis Pushilin, shares the opinion of his colleague from LPR.

"Unfortunately, by such statements Petro Poroshenko once again demonstrates his incompetence and misleads the people of Ukraine. I would advise him to read the Complex of Measures to implement the Minsk agreements once again and make corresponding statements only after that," the Donetsk news agency quoted Pushilin as saying on Sunday.

He reminded Poroshenko about the roadmap to peace in Donbass that spells out the order of steps on the road to the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

"The first political planks of the Complex of Measures prescribe that Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada adopt amendments to the fundamental law for the Minsk process to come into force - the law on the special status of Donbass is in question. That is followed by provisions on the amnesty, the release of prisoners, the constitutional reform and local elections under a law agreed upon with representatives of DPR and LPR. Only after the fulfillment of all these provisions the Minsk Agreement stipulates the border issues," Pushilin stressed.